Governor’s point person in Flint knew about Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak for nearly a year before telling his boss An email obtained by Progress Michigan and released today shows that high-level advisors and department heads knew about the spike in Legionnaires’ Disease in Flint in March of 2015, a full nine months before they released the information to the public. The […]

Democratic presidential candidates to hold March debate in Flint Democrats announced yesterday that they are adding two presidential debates to the schedule and one of them will take place on March 6th, just before the Michigan primary. Details about the time, location, and who will moderate have not yet been released. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon released this statement […]

After passing legislation to slash revenue sharing to already struggling urban areas including Flint and after passing an anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law – Public Act 4 – and after passing another anti-democratic Emergency Manager law – Public Act 436 – after voters rejected the first one (and making it democracy-proof with an unnecessary appropriation) and after these Republican-appointed overseers – […]

At today’s hearing on the Flint water crisis before the House Oversight and Government Reform, Democratic committee members made it clear time and time again that the poisoning of Flint’s drinking water with lead was the responsibility of the state government and the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder. On the other hand, Republican committee members spent the vast majority of […]

Darnell Earley, the former Flint Emergency Manager and current Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager will resign on February 29th according to a statement released by Gov. Snyder this morning on the state website. Earley, who has denied he was responsible for any of the problems in Flint or Detroit Schools, is quoted in the statement as basically saying, “Mission Accomplished”: […]

I’m starting today’s news round-up by featuring an essay published by Ann Arbor social worker Beverly Davidson, LMSW, at her “Voices from the Infant, Toddler and Family Field” blog. The post is titled “No words” and the title is cruelly apt. Here’s a taste of what she saw during a recent day of volunteering in Flint: We knocked on one […]

Today’s guest post is by Laura Packard, a partner at PowerThru Consulting, a growing national progressive digital consulting shop. Enjoy. The Flint water crisis didn’t just happen. It’s been a story decades in the making. Cities in America have been on the downswing for many years — deliberate policy on the federal and state level has favored suburbs, and also the preferences […]

Congressional hearing to focus on attacking the USEPA and not the real cause of the Flint water crisis The list of those invited to give testimony before the House U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform this coming Wednesday has been released and one name is glaringly missing: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Those who WILL give testimony are the […]

It’s been a busy week of news regarding the poisoning of Flint’s drinking water by the Snyder administration, so much that it’s simply not possible to post separately about each one. That’s where the news round-ups come. So here is a compilation of the latest news coming out of Flint and Lansing. Enjoy. Amid complaints of water, Snyder admin quietly […]

Citing a report putting Michigan dead last in terms of ethical transparency in state government, the progressive watchdog group Progress Michigan is launching a GoFundMe drive to raise funds for a variety of activities related to shining a light on the actions of our elected officials. Top on their list is to overturn Michigan’s disgusting law that allows the Governor […]

One of responses that Gov. Rick Snyder has had to his administration’s poisoning of Flint’s drinking water is to hire public relations people. LOTS of public relations people, in fact. Back in December, he brought on PR specialist Chris DeWitt. Then, even before he had given his State of the State Address, he hired Bill Nowling, another communications expert. Then, […]